A conventional vehicle body structure is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model publication (i.e., Japanese Laid Open Utility Model Application Showa 56-143477 and Japanese Utility Model Application No. 55-42886). As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, this publication discloses a vehicle body structure which has a rear portion 121 of a door window glass 12 fixed to a slider 40. The slider 4 extends rearwardly from the rear portion 121 of the door window 12 to a guide rail 108 of a door. The guide rail 108 is formed between a rear frame member 102 and a garnish 104 of the door. The slider 40 is guided by the guide rail 108, so that the door window 12 can be moved selectively upward and downward. An outer surface of the door window 12 is positioned at an outer side of a vehicle, so that the outer surface of the door window 12 is almost flush with the outer surface 106 of the door frame 100. However, this conventional vehicle structure limits the view of a passenger of the vehicle through the door window and detracts from the aesthetic appearance of the exterior surface of the vehicle body because the garnish 104 has a rather large external surface.
Another conventional vehicle body structure is disclosed in another Japanese Utility Model publication (i.e., Japanese Laid Open Utility Model application Showa 59-145419 and Japanese Utility Model application No. 58-39950). As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, this publication discloses a door structure which has a top frame member 204, a front frame member 202, a rear frame member 208 and an intermediate frame member 206. The top, front, rear and intermediate frame members 204, 202, 208 and 206 have grooves therein.
A first space is defined between the top, front, and intermediate frame members 204, 202 and 206 and a door body 20, and a second space is defined between the top, intermediate and rear frame members 204, 206 and 208 and the door body 20. Further, a first door window 22 is movably mounted within a guide means 21 mounted in the grooves of the front and intermediate frame members 202 and 206 and a second door window 23 is fixed within the second space. As shown in FIG. 10, the second door window 23 is substantially flush with the first door window 22 and the second door window 23 is positioned rearwardly in longitudinally direction of the vehicle from the first door window 22.
Furthermore, a front portion of a slider 40 is fixed to the rear edge of the first window 22 and a rear portion of the slider 40 is inserted in the guide means 21 which is mounted in a front groove of the intermediate frame member 206. A front edge of the second door window 23 is inserted in a rear groove of the intermediate frame member 206 and the front edge of the second door window is fixed to the intermediate frame member 206 by a seal member 207.
As a result, a large exterior surface of the intermediate frame member 206 appears on the exterior surface of the vehicle body and a distance indicated by "A" in FIG. 10 becomes rather long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Therefore, this conventional body structure also limits the view of a passenger of the vehicle through the door window and detracts from the aesthetic appearance of the exterior surface of the vehicle body.